The present invention refers to a multi-jet watering nozzle with counter-rotating elements for an underground pop-up sprinkler.
As it is generally known, retracting sprinklers, or pop-up sprinklers, are provided with appropriate nozzles for the output of water. Said nozzle is fastened to the risible part of the sprinkler and is therefore subject to the up and down movement which is characteristic of the sprinkler.
A watering nozzle for pop-up sprinkler is described in the Italian patent application MI99A000710 of Apr. 7, 1999 by the same Applicant and it comprises a main body fastened to the risible part of the sprinkler in order to receive the flow of water coming from the base of the same sprinkler and to deliver it to outside in the form of a single jet with pre-established capacity and angular extension, and a ring nut associated with said main body in order to allow the adjustment of the angle of the jet.
A multi-jet watering nozzle for pop-up sprinkler is also known comprising a bottom part that is suitable to receive the flow of water coming from the base of the sprinkler and to generate a jet in the form of a spray having preestablished angular extension through an annular opening, and a top part that is made up of a distribution cylinder that is rotating about its axis and provided with radial ducts that proceed from its bottom to its side wall in such a way as to divide the water spray coming from the annular opening of the bottom part of the nozzle into single jets arranged radially along said pre-established radial extension.
This latter nozzle has the disadvantage that the rotation of the distribution cylinder determines the formation of single jets that, instead of being exactly radial, have a spiral-like course. This translates into a single radial extension of the jets that is relatively modest as compared with the quantity of water that enters the sprinkler.
In view of the state of the art herein described, scope of the present invention is to present a watering nozzle with single jets for an underground pop-up sprinkler that overcomes the aforementioned inconvenience, increasing the radial extension of the jets with an equal capacity.
According to the present invention, such scope has been attained by means of a watering nozzle for underground pop-up sprinkler, comprising a bottom part fastened to a risible part of the sprinkler and suitable to receive the water flow coming from the base of the sprinkler and to generate through an annular opening a jet in the form of a spray with pre-established angular extension, and a top part that is made of a distribution cylinder provided with radial slots that proceed from its bottom to its side wall so as to divide into single jets the water spray coming from said annular opening, said distribution cylinder being rotatable around its axis due to the action of the water against the walls of said radial slots, characterised in that above said distribution cylinder a fan wheel coaxial to the cylinder but with greater diameter is placed, said fan wheel being cinematically connected with the distribution cylinder so as to rotate in an opposite sense with respect to the cylinder due to the rotation of the latter and being provided with external fins that extend towards the bottom in order to deviate in opposite direction with respect to the one determined by the rotation of the distribution cylinder, and therefore in radial direction, the water jets coming out of said slots of said cylinder.
Owing to the present invention it is possible to realise a multi-jet watering nozzle for an underground pop-up sprinkler that allows to obtain water jets with greater range as compared with the known pop-up sprinklers. This allows to reduce the amount of water required by the sprinklers, as well as to use a lower number of sprinklers to realise a watering system, since each pop-up sprinkler can water an area greater than with the known pop-up sprinklers.
On the other hand, considering the larger range of the water jets, it is possible to realise watering systems in places with shortage of water that use pop-up and distribution tubes with small diameter but that guarantee the same efficiency as traditional watering systems.